Have a ‘GREEN’ Christmas

Here are some of the tips of the show to have an eco-friendly, healthy & “green” Christmas…even if you live in the tundra!

  • Be more thoughtful & “intentive” in your gift-giving. Don’t buy something just to fill up a stocking or box. Make sure each item has a positive meaning! It’s better to receive 1 well thought out gift, than a bunch of “stuff”.

Be aware of WHERE the item is from! Support local businesses and artisans. You are supporting your community & lower transportation costs (i.e. lower carbon emittance).

READ the LABELS! We had an entire episode devoted to green-washing & what to look for. KNOW where your item is made and what its made from! It’s better to buy something not “organic’ from a local source, than an organic item that was made in China. Be aware of what you are purchasing.

Minimal packaging…this goes for what you are buying AND how you are giving the item! If you love to wrap gifts, look for wrap made from post recycled content. Or be creative w/newspaper, fabric, kraft paper…

Real vs Fake trees…this is a wash. Real trees are mainly grown on tree farms, so no harm is done to the forests & nothing beats that smell in the home! You really know its Christmas when you have a real tree. Make sure to recycle the tree though after you take it down. You can put it outside for a natural fence/home for wildlife and/or put it through a wood chipper to make mulch. A fake tree, while made from petrochemical materials, pollutes and isn’t so “healthy and green” at the beginning is a 1 time purchase that you’ll reuse…I personally light & decorate my big potted palm trees I have in my house. This is an option if you aren’t a “tree” kind of person. Having the lit palms makes me at least feel like I’m in a warmer climate…through on some Jimmy Buffett and crank up the heat & I’m all set!

***The National Christmas Tree Association, an organization which represents Christmas tree growers, has teamed up with Scottsdale, Arizona-based conservation group Earth 911 to point consumers in the right direction with their trees. On their Web site, you can enter your zip code to find the nearest of 3,800-plus spots nationwide that accept old trees. ***

Go for LED (light emitting diodes) as opposed to traditional Christmas lights. They don’t burn as hot & you’ll save on your electricity bills as they are 90% more efficient! Plus, they “light” for approx 200,000 hours AND if one burns out, the rest stay lit as opposed to having the whole strand go out like traditional lights!

***According to one U.S. Department of Energy study, if everyone replaced their conventional holiday light strings with LEDs, at least two billion kilowatt-hours of electricity could be saved in a month. ***

Lastly, if turkey, ham or other meat/poultry items are on the menu, look for meat that is free range as opposed to factory farmed-it will be on the label. This just ensures that the animals were raised in humane conditions and not subjected to cruelty. Every little bit helps!

I hope you got some great ideas to help make your holidays a bit more “green”!

DeAnna Radaj is the owner of Bante Design LLC/3E Products-an Integrative Lifestyle Design company.  She is a nationally recognized speaker, author/columnist and design consultant.  Check out the Bante Design LLC website for more information at www.bantedesign.com